While the world endlessly debates whether or not the air strikes alone would be sufficient in stemming the advance of ISIS the verdict is already crystal clear: the air strikes alone will not succeed against ISIS. Kobani is under siege. Turkey stands ready to not lift a finger to help Kobani. The United Nations has warned that the fall of Kobani may result in the massacre of its residents. It seems the US and the allies are being hampered by the burden of the recent experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq. No one wants to be dragged into another war without end. The Assad regime in Syria butchering its own people makes the horrible mess in Syria and Iraq a lot messier and more complex
The coalition has promised to aggressively train and equip Iraqi forces to make up for the lack of coalition boots on the ground. Many experts believe we can't train and equip Iraqis fast enough to deal with the serious continuing threat presented by ISIS. The wholesale desertion by the Iraqi soldiers in the face of the ISIS onslaughts does not engender much confidence in their ability to quickly prepare themselves or deal a serious blow to ISIS in Iraq. Even Turkey's promise to train and arm the moderate Sunni groups fighting Assad raises the spectre of those weapons getting into the hands of ISIS. The coalition is already fighting an ISIS armed with US weapons abandoned by the fleeing Iraqi army.
To work around the pledge of no US boots on the ground/ "no US ground troops" in Iraq Obama has sent several hundred Special Forces personnel to Iraq soon to be joined by 200 Australian Special Forces personnel to assist the Kurds and Iraqis in resisting ISIS; all of this in addition to the military personnel required to keep bombing ISIS positions.
ISIS is much more dangerous than Al Qaida. It is equally if not more brutal. It is much like a conventional state. It has wealth. It holds territory. It has boots on the ground armed with tanks, artillery and other armour. It is dedicated to kill and die defending and expanding its territory. Former US Defence Secretaries Leon Panetta and Robert Gates as well as former UK armed forces chief Sir David Richards believe boots on the ground are indispensable for defeating or substantially destroying ISIS. In today's National Post Conrad Black somewhat persuasively argues for a long term solution for stability, if at all that is possible, in the chronically troubled Middle East. He supports boots on the ground to deal with the current situation in Iraq and Syria provided they are Islamic boots. I do not believe Iraqi boots or the Turkish trained moderate Syrian rebels alone can stop and destroy ISIS without Turkish military directly intervening in the war. So far Turkey has shown no inclination for such an intervention. Some western boots on the ground are indispensable for quickly stopping and degrading ISIS. Hopefully by then local anti ISIS forces will be capable of successfully confronting and finishing it.
Today Kobani is under siege and pleading with the world. ISIS is now in partial control of the city. Without heavy armour and ground troops on its side it may fall sooner rather than later. In the event of its fall the Kurds of Kobani will be at the mercy of the absolutely merciless killers of ISIS. John Kerry has already conceded Kobani's fall, horrible though it would be, may be inevitable. The coalition members, each for reasons of their own, seem to have accepted Kobani falling into ISIS control with all of the horrific consequences that may ensue for its inhabitants. Some in the west argue there are other Kobanis in Iraq and Syria. Many argue that other groups such as Boko Haram are engaged in similar genocidal campaigns. I say Iraq and ISIS and now Syria and ISIS too have got our attention like no other place. We can't turn a blind eye to the clear and present international and domestic danger to which we are fully alive. If we do not rescue Kobani others will know they too will be free to continue their terror with impunity.
No one from the coalition wants to put boots on the ground in Iraq. I do not want any one placed in harms' way either. War is horrible. But it is already upon us. Just in case anyone didn't notice ISIS is already waging war and we can't get our act together. Future generations will not forgive us if we let Kobani fall to ISIS while we dither and debate the finer points of boots or no boots on the ground and whether and why Turkey won't lift a finger to protect the people of Kobani.
President Obama! if you can hear in the din of midterm elections I implore you to save Kobani and others from the butchery of ISIS. I know you pledged "no US boots on the ground". But I remind you of our other more powerful collective pledge of "Never Again". If you do not reconsider and abandon "no US boots on the ground" pledge the "Never Again" already breached in places like Rwanda and the Balkans may cease to have any meaning. We will never be able to declare "Never Again" with any credibility. Our world will be the poorer for it
